NOTe make no mistake: the conflict in Ukraine could mark a turning point for the international sports movement. He will go down in history. For the first time, the authorities have massively abandoned their sacrosanct principle of political neutrality. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has shown the way. The international sports federations followed suit.
Russia and Belarus have been excluded from the Olympic movement, their events have been taken away from them, their teams banned from competitions. This position sets a precedent. A first in contemporary history. Let us remember, for example, that the London Olympics were awarded to Great Britain in 2005, only two years after its participation in the war in Iraq.
Why such a reaction from the sports movement? The future will no doubt bring a more precise answer, but I would dare to explain two things: times have changed, with a now shared feeling that war is no longer acceptable; Westerners continue to weigh heavily on the sports movement. The real reason for this unique position taken by the authorities is undoubtedly due to a bit of the two hypotheses.
peace and sport
One thing is certain: the conflict in Ukraine triggered from the first Russian offensives a mobilization that was also unprecedented in the world of sport. It has affected a very large number of countries and communities, without being limited to the countries most concerned. Solidarity with Ukraine has been expressed from top to bottom, from international organizations to national federations and even local clubs.
Initiatives have been very numerous, often spontaneous. They illustrated, with a rarely known resonance, the intuition at the origin of the creation of the organization Peace and sport: sport can be a formidable tool for peace and solidarity. It will not prevent wars, but it can help mitigate their most negative consequences.
There are many examples of this unprecedented mobilization of the sports world. From the beginning of the conflict, the IOC announced the creation of a fund to help the Ukrainian Olympic community. Coordinated by former pole vaulter Sergei Bubka, he had gathered at the very beginning of April the sum of 2 million dollars (about 1.92 million euros).
citizens of the world
The International Canoe Federation (ICF) followed the example, in turn creating an aid fund and calling on its member countries to welcome Ukrainian athletes. His appeal was massively heard, notably by Poland, Romania, Germany, France and Estonia. At the beginning of May, the French sports ministry announced that more than 70 high-level Ukrainian athletes and their supervisors had been welcomed, or were in the process of being welcomed, in public sports establishments.
You have 18.82% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.
